Sunday Reading - Where The Small Hold Stands Today

 

Outwardly it doesn't look as if much has changed around The Small-Hold in years really. The critters are about the same although there are less sheep hanging around and we have had a couple of the outdoor donation cats change colors. A few of the old females died of age but never fear as the number of people willing to throw their unwanted into our yard managed to maintain the over all population more or less, at least up to about two years ago. 

The area around The Small-Hold has changed a lot, and not in a  good way in my opinion. While there have not been any new developments or sub-divisions within line of sight the amount of traffic has increased 10 fold at least. My gut tells me if I were to go investigate I would find all types of new houses nestled in the wooded areas along private and county gravel roads just past us now. The only gas station in the small town is always filled with people now, the farmers market is booming, the school is celebrating more little people to brain wash. Why we even have a damned Dollar General in town now that is always filled with middle aged Women walking around with eye swirls that remind me of the romance section from an old Waldenbooks Store... All Beta wave brain activity walking around in a  trance.

The only good side effect I see is the traffic has pretty much reduced the constant dumping of stray cats down to literally nothing. 

My neighbor, the professional farmer with the million dollar + USDA subsidy spigot has purchased more parcels and has pretty much boxed the Small-Hold in on all sides now. So while the world changes around us the little square of our small farm now kinda exists in a time bubble. Despite the fact that the neighbor does play the government ag game he isn't a bad neighbor so I am not complaining. His mother still lives behind my hay field and we never have any problems. Plus if there ever is anything that goes down that could lead to problems like for instance when a fence needs rebuilt or a lagoon is 10 foot to close to the property line, a simple agreement between him and I is all that is needed. No lawyers, no government goons, just as "That looks good" will do.

There is the issue that his children will be needing living space soon and around here they seem to just cut a new lot out from the farm when that happens. His mother could pass away. Lots of scenarios that could be a problem in the future are possible. Truth is if I were 10 years younger myself I would be selling and moving on. 

The entire situation has changed and I am not sure where it is going to stop just now. The Small-Hold is not so much a journey and/or sustainable project anymore but more like a kinda retirement home and time bubble. There are no roads really being built, no new infrastructure, no public improvements but lots of private development as people from all over attempt to flee and hide from the government madness. Small businesses of course but nothing like the numbers we saw a decade ago with a new gas station for every 10 houses and such. It's more like a stealth growth using up what little is around more than it can handle and the over reaching government cannot afford to keep up either and put in new roads to play lord over. No new cop shops, in fact the town even got rid of their police. 

But yet the people keep coming.

I imagine this is going to require a lot of observation and maybe a new look and direction for this blog as I try and make sense of this new era. It actually kinda fits predictions from earlier times but with certain side effects and peculiarities I certainly did not see coming. It doesn't help that this Obummer v2.0 BiteMe regime is making things worse.

I don't have any answers or really theories right now but I am gonna try. I hope some of you will come along for the ride. One thing I will say this is not lessening my belief that making yourself prepared is a dead issue. It might be more important than ever now.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!